I'm just a little tired of you right now. Don't worry, it won't last long!

I've made cupcakes for a fundraiser (twice), I've made cupcakes for a party, I've made cupcakes for a friend, and lastly, I've made cupcakes for a baby shower. That's where these come in.

If you didn't guess already, my friend Julie is having a boy!

With all the other baking I'd been doing, I decided to keep these simple and start with a box mix. From there, I added grocery store cotton candy (you can usually find it in the candy or chip aisle), some sprinkles, a little vanilla to the batter, filled with a lovely cream filling, and then topped with a cotton candy buttercream.

While a very sweet cupcake, these are Bean's new favorite. He really LOVES them.

You can top your cupcakes with a bit of Cotton Candy, but do not add it until just before serving or it will dry up and get all yicky (professional term). I decided to top mine with shiny, pearly Sixlet and some blue sugar crystals.

If I were making these for a different occasion, I would have done a plain buttercream tinted pink as well, and swirled on a bit of pink, then a bit of blue for a truer cotton candy look.

These are still pretty cupcakes though. You can see little bits of the cotton candy peeking out of the top of the cupcake, and when you bite in, you will definitely see it and your sprinkles.

Much fun!

While I am, in fact, quite tired of cupcakes, I have more ideas for them up my sleeve... as always!

Mix up cake as directed on back of box. Add in vanilla. Pack 1/2 cup cotton candy in a measuring cup. Once measured, break it up and mix into the batter. Lastly, add the jimmies and beat lightly to avoid streaking.

Scoop batter into liners and bake according to box.

While the cupcakes are baking, start the cream filling.

Cream filling:

1 Cup Whole (Vitamin D) Milk

5 Tablespoons Flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Cup Butter (not margarine) barely room temp

1 Cup Granulated Sugar (NOT powdered sugar)

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into the milk until smooth. Heat,
stirring constantly, until very thick (thicker than pudding). Remove and
allow to cool fully. You can sit the pan in an ice bath if you don’t want
to wait.

In your mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.

Once cool, in the flour/milk and beat until fully combined. Add in the vanilla. Beat until fluffy.

Finished it will look like a thick whipped cream.

When the cupcakes are cooled, pipe the cream filling into the cupcakes. (See here for instructions if you do not know how.)

With mixer, beat butter for 3 minutes. Slowly add
powdered sugar and salt until well combined. Add cotton candy to heavy
cream a little at a time. It will melt into the cream. Add heavy cream/cotton candy liquid to butter/sugar mixture. Beat on high for 4 minutes. If too thick, add more cream 1/2
teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Friday night was an awesome time for our youth group. I posted a few months ago about our youth pastor leaving to move to California. Once there, he thought he would not be able to come home for an entire year. I'd been telling the kids this since he moved. Though his amazing wife was able to come home for Christmas, he couldn't due to his new job. A few weeks ago however, he got the OK for a few days off work. He was coming home for a weekend! The kids knew nothing of this. At our event on Friday night, in he walked. It was so much fun to see their reactions. At first they were just stunned (except one of our girls who immediately ran across the room and, well, basically tackled him), then they quickly crowded around him.

I loved seeing them with him again. It's only been six months, but for a teenager, that is a long time (if we are being totally up front here, it seemed like a really long time to me too!). They played Ultimate Frisbee with him, then the gathered around and listened to him talk about his life and new job in California.

Sunday morning he led worship and then preached to our teens. There may have been a slight bit of bragging on his part, "I moved to California... and had NO snow". Polar Vortex here and he had 84 degrees and sunny. WHAT. EVER. Rude.

It's really amazing to see how much one person can change people's lives.

They all love him so much. And, eh, I think he's ok too.

Ha.

Anyway, many cupcakes were consumed Friday night. I'd make about 78. Then, I made him another dozen and a half yesterday, because California is far and 6 months is long.

Since he told me my cupcakes were better than Casey's Cupcakes out there in LA, well... I kinda had to right? ( I made his favorite cream filled cupcakes .) Fact is, he and his wife have me wrapped pretty tight. You'd understand if you met them. ;)

These cupcakes are actually some they've not had. (However, you know if they ask when they come back in September, I will totally make them, right?).

I LOVE maple. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. So, yeah. Maple and brown sugar cupcakes seem like they need to be in this world, right?

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, and maple flavoring; set aside.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour,
sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the butter
one piece at a time, mixing until the dough comes together and looks
sandy.

Add about 1 cup of the egg mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.
Slowly add the remaining egg mixture, with the mixer on low speed,
until incorporated. Scrape the bowl, if necessary, then increase speed
to medium-high and beat for about 20 seconds. The batter will just
barely look a little curdled.
Divide that batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 23-25
minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely before frosting. Frost with Brown Sugar Buttercream, then sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar.

With mixer, beat butter for 3 minutes. Beat in brown sugar. Slowly add
powdered sugar and salt until well combined. Add 2 tablespoons heavy
cream. Beat on high for 4 minutes. Add in vanilla. If too thick, add more cream 1/2
teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

This evening we are off to dinner of his choosing, but this morning, well, he had to go to school. To start his birthday off right though, I made him not only pancakes, but birthday cake pancakes.

These are basically my Grandmother in Law's pancakes, which you can find here, with a scoop of yellow cake mix, sprinkles, vanilla, and a delicious glaze.

To make things quicker in the morning, I measure out all of the dry ingredients in a lidded mixing bowl. Then I just mix in the wet, combine well, and lastly, add the sprinkles. Be sure to wait til just before frying to add the sprinkles. The colors may start to streak in the batter.

This is a fast, fun, and festive take on pancakes. Perfect for special occasions.

Did Bean like them? He said, and I quote, "I feel bad for all of the other pancakes now.". Yeah, he liked them.

Here is his trying to think of a wish.

17 sure is crazy, but now, we all know, the Trace has broken and he can practice magic outside of Hogwarts, so, there's that. Carry on.

Add all dry ingredients, except sprinkles, into a mixing bowl and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Slowly pour the wet into the dry and mix until combined. Add the sprinkles just before frying. Stir gently to avoid streaking of the colors.

Pour a bit of oil into your pan and let heat. Drip a drop of the batter into the oil. When it begins to sizzle, add your pancakes.

When bubbles form on the cakes, carefully flip them over.

Test center by poking a small hole in it. If batter comes out, cook another minute or so.

Place on a paper towel just for a second to absorb any extra oil, then place on plate and serve!

This is a small recipe, it makes about 6 medium sized pancakes, easily doubled, tripled, etc.

Serve with vanilla glaze

For the Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 Tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon rainbow sprinkles

Add powered sugar and milk to melted butter. Whisk until smooth and glossy. Add vanilla and stir until combined. Gently fold in sprinkles to avoid streaking.

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Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world... She took the Hogwarts train goin' anywhere.
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